At this moment, Lao Bai felt a sense of discomfort; he was a man and yet here he was, crying out over such a small matter, while a young woman stood strong. It was embarrassing.
Fortunately, although Israel was reinforcing its forces, no further conflicts occurred between the two sides. By around four in the afternoon, Emma and Lao Bai decided to return to Jerusalem; there was no network here, and they needed to go back to send their reports.
The sky remained clear, and the sunlight was still abundant at four in the afternoon. Before getting in the car, Emma took one last look at the security fence not far away. That single fence had trapped millions of people for over a decade.
Though they too enjoyed the same sunlight as her, they were confined within the walls of a single city, struggling within its bounds. Even after witnessing so much over the year, Emma's heart still ached with an indescribable sorrow. Perhaps it was seeing all this suffering that allowed Emma to accept what had happened to her with more equanimity. Occasionally, when she thought of her father, she wondered if even if Old Sun had taken him back that day, they might have both just disappeared.
In such a place, human life is too fragile.
On the way back, Emma continued to drive, but unexpectedly, the car broke down halfway. After getting out and examining the vehicle for a while, both she and Lao Bai were at a loss.
There were no other cars on the road. Lao Bai looked at Emma and cautiously asked, "Shall we call a tow truck?"
"Do you have a phone?" Emma countered.
Lao Bai was taken aback by her question.
Emma said, "I'll try to hitchhike."
Lao Bai, worried, said, "There's hardly anyone around here; it might be too dangerous. I think the Reuters reporters left later than us; let me call them."
Emma didn't want to trouble them, but she was out of options.
So Lao Bai made the call, and Emma stood by the roadside. As she looked back at the car, she felt a sense of déjà vu.
Emma stood on the open road and suddenly laughed.
Jason.
How long had it been since she dared to think of that name, refusing all news from home for fear of hearing about him? Yet, there were moments that inevitably reminded her of him.
Lao Bai, holding his phone, said, "No one answered."
Just then, a rumbling sound came from the distance, growing closer and closer.
Lao Bai joyfully shouted, "A car is coming."
But Emma remained vigilant and said, "Be careful."
She bent down to retrieve something from the back of the car, and Lao Bai watched as she loaded a gun, placed it under the seat, and then covered it.
The car, seeing them stopped by the roadside, stopped directly in front of them. The person in the car, grinning, stuck his head out and asked, "Do you need help?"
Before Emma could respond, the person in the passenger seat had already gotten out of the car. As he approached, his eyes swept over Emma, not with a simple glance but with a greedy desire.
These two men had distinct Arab features.
When the other man got out of the car and they both circled around it, the leader took out a dagger from the car and said with a smirk, "We're just passing by."
Scum can be found in any country and among any ethnicity.
Lao Bai immediately shouted, "If you just want money, we can give you money."
Emma didn't speak but calmly looked at them; luckily, they only had daggers. It seemed these two had seen their car stopped by the roadside and, seeing no one else around, had taken it into their heads to act.
If they only wanted money, it would be fine...
But she feared they wanted more than that; their covetous gazes fell on Emma again.
Emma's eyes showed disgust.
"If you want money, I can give you all the money we have," Emma said indifferently.
But the man with the dagger approached her, sneering, "I've never been with a Chinese woman before."
He pretended to sniff Emma's scent.
At this moment, Lao Bai fully understood the intentions of the two men and could no longer bear it. He said in Chinese, "Jingxi, I'll hold them off, you grab their car and run."
Although Lao Bai was afraid of death, he couldn't just stand by and watch Emma be humiliated. At this moment, no matter how cowardly he was, he had to stand like a man.
Emma immediately shouted, "No."
The two Arab men kept looking at them, not understanding Chinese, but they could tell that the two were discussing how to escape.
Until Emma said, "One at a time."
The men didn't expect her to not act like a typical woman who would scream and shout, but instead, she cooperated so well that they laughed even more happily, casually opening the car door and pulling her in.
But as soon as he moved, Emma moved faster. She quickly took out the gun from under the car seat and aimed at the man's leg, pulling the trigger without hesitation.
Bang, the sound of the gunshot rang out, and the man who was counting money from Lao Bai's wallet looked up in confusion.
Then he saw his companion lying on the ground, bleeding from the thigh, screaming in pain, and the wallet in his hand fell to the ground. He knelt down in shock.
Emma looked at him expressionlessly and said in a cold voice, "I said, one at a time."
Bang, another gunshot rang out.
The man was urinating from his lower body, drop by drop.
Emma did fire a second shot, but she fired it into the sky. It was clear that the man had been scared into wetting himself.
Soon, a military vehicle arrived, and the gunshots had alerted the retreating military vehicle. When the officer approached, Emma raised her eyebrows slightly, only to find it was the man who had said women shouldn't be on the front line.
He looked at Emma and the two men on the ground, and it was clear that he understood what had happened.
"Sorry, we will deal with these two," he said. Although it wasn't their military responsibility, Emma and her companion were journalists, and this incident occurred within Israel's borders.
Emma nodded, "Thank you."
Fortunately, someone quickly helped fix their car, and Emma said thank you again before leaving with Lao Bai.
After they left, Lao Bai was still in shock, muttering in the passenger seat, "It was too dangerous, just now was too dangerous."
"Dangerous?" On the contrary, the person involved was particularly calm.
Emma looked at the particularly straight road through the front windshield. The last time, it was Jason standing behind the car with a gun protecting her. This time, she protected herself.
Shen Yan, look, I can now protect myself.
A faint smile rose on her lips, but why, suddenly, she missed him so much.
*
In the evening, Emma couldn't sleep and happened to receive a call from another reporter inviting her out for a drink.
So she agreed readily.
However, her readiness caught the other person off guard.
Usually, Emma didn't always attend these drinking gatherings, unless it was a holiday party.
The bar was a place where they, as journalists, often went, considered a small intelligence exchange spot, and many international journalists would drink here. Over time, it became a gathering place for war correspondents in Jerusalem.
When Emma entered, she saw many familiar faces.
Kevin was there too, immediately waving at her and saying, "Emma, I heard you encountered danger on your way back today."
A reporter from CCTV next to him immediately asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
They had just heard from Kevin and didn't know about the incident before, worrying for Emma. But she seemed to be in good shape.
Emma looked at him and asked, "How did you know?"
Kevin smiled and said, "Simon told me."
At this moment, she learned that the officer's name was Simon, who had some connections with Kevin. Knowing Kevin was close to Emma, he wanted to inform her through Kevin that the two men had been sent to the police station.
Emma ordered a drink and nodded slightly, "Please help me say thank you to him."
"Maybe you can tell him yourself," Kevin chuckled, glancing to the side.
Unexpectedly, the officer named Simon really appeared in the pub. He stood by the bar, ordered two drinks, and slowly walked over, placing them in front of Emma.
"My name is Simon," he introduced himself.
Emma nodded, "I'm Emma."
Her name was difficult for foreigners to pronounce, so many people simply called her Emma.
Unexpectedly, Simon was quite direct, smiling and saying, "Perhaps we can get to know each other again, and I apologize for my words today."
Emma knew which words he was referring to.
At this moment, Kevin looked at the two of them and suddenly said, "Simon, I knew Emma first, so you can't take her away from me."
Emma didn't expect these two to argue over such a matter.
So she drained her glass of wine and said, "I'm already married."
Suddenly, the table fell silent, with both Simon and Kevin looking at her. The Chinese journalists present were not surprised; they exchanged glances with a hint of sympathy for these two international friends.
Kevin: "You already have a husband?"
Emma: "Yes."
He couldn't believe it and looked at Emma's hand, which wasn't wearing a wedding ring. He exclaimed, "What kind of person is he?"
Emma, tired of his curiosity, replied bluntly, "He is handsome, tall, wealthy, and a perfect man."
She just wanted to get rid of these two quickly.
Kevin's face showed a hurt expression, but Simon clearly wasn't convinced. He handed the drink he had bought to Emma and said firmly, "I don't believe you have a husband."
But the next moment, the atmosphere behind him suddenly became stagnant.
Because a tall Chinese man slowly approached and stopped behind them, and not far away, several bodyguards were quietly and vigilantly watching the surroundings.
Emma took a deep breath, and as she was about to speak again, the glass of wine in front of her was picked up by a hand that reached out from the side.
That slender and fair hand, with the knuckles of the thin back slightly raised, and the fingers holding the cup's edge were astonishingly long. Just looking at such a hand made one feel intoxicated.
As her gaze followed that hand up, and up further,
Until she saw his face, that handsome and deep face.
She was completely stunned.
The man picked up the glass of wine on the table and drank it all at once. When he raised his head, the Adam's apple on his neck, the part known as the most sensual bone of a man, slid gently.
A glass of wine was finished by him.
Simon looked up and asked unhappily, "Sir, who are you?"
Jason looked down at him condescendingly, his voice a little hoarse from just drinking: "I am her handsome, tall, and wealthy husband."
Jason's gaze was fixed on the stars above, but his heart was drawn to the star by his side. Emma looked at him, her long eyelashes trembling under the cold moonlight, reflecting a subtle sheen that was intoxicatingly beautiful.
Emma turned her face away and lay back in her chair, gazing at the starry sky above. The dense stars on the dark night canvas were like scattered brilliant diamonds on black velvet.
Suddenly, she felt at a loss for words.
Jason, too, was looking up at the sky, unsure of how long it had been since he'd had such a leisurely moment, just lying quietly with the girl he cared so much about by his side.
He asked, "How have you been these past years?"
Emma was taken aback by the question.
A year, it had been a whole year.
She remembered leaving at the end of June, almost immediately after her grandmother's funeral, when she had been eager to leave the country and step into a broader world.
Now, she had truly seen it. Although she was based in Jerusalem, she had crossed the Jordan River, visited Palestine, entered the largest refugee camp in Jordan, and even walked through the Golan Heights with a UN patrol team.
She had witnessed the most suffering side of the world; in the refugee camps, people were not living, they were merely surviving.
After pondering for a while, she softly recounted her experiences over the past year to him, sharing what she had seen and heard.
There was indeed such overwhelming sorrow in the world that she could only be a bystander to, invisible and intangible.
After she finished speaking, Emma looked at him as he silently gazed back at her, and she couldn't quite grasp his emotions. She softly asked, "What's wrong?"
Jason suddenly smiled and said, "I've been worried about you. This is Israel, where disputes and fires of war have never ceased. You left without looking back, not even sending me a message. But it seems you've been living quite fulfillingly."
More than worry, there was a time when he was constantly plagued by nightmares of her, covered in blood.
When startled awake by these nightmares, Jason wished he could fly here immediately and take her back, to keep her imprisoned by his side, where he could see and touch her.
Even if she wasn't happy, he just wanted her to be safe.
Emma heard the bitterness in his words and said softly, "I'm sorry."
"Did you never think of contacting me?" Jason turned his head to look at her.
Emma was truly stunned. Did she think about it? How could she not have?
The first time she witnessed someone, who was just alive and breathing, being shot dead right in front of her, Emma had trembled all over, her stomach churning, and she vomited everything she had eaten.
The bloody scene, the heart-wrenching screams.
When she returned to her place, surrounded by silence, it felt as if the sounds of gunfire were still echoing in her ears, unceasing.
She took out her phone, opened his WeChat, and held down the voice button firmly.
She whispered his name softly, as if only by doing so could she drive away the gunshots in her mind.
Over and over again.
It was after that incident that Emma developed the habit of writing in a diary. Her mother had always kept a diary, and before her father left the country, her mother had given her all her diaries to keep.
Looking at those volumes of diaries, she was curious about her mother's state of mind when she wrote them.
Now, as she wrote down her longing for Jason on paper, she began to understand her mother's feelings back then.
Emma looked at him and softly asked, "What about you, how have you been?"
Jason's life without Emma was a monotonous cycle of work, and even Xiao Yichen's occasional invitations for drinks were declined. Although the public announcement cited the cancellation of the wedding due to Jingxi's grandmother's passing, which was understandable to outsiders, it couldn't deceive the family elders.
Zhong Lan, not seeing Emma for several times, went directly to their home. Jason initially didn't want to discuss the matter. In his view, Emma would eventually return, and even if she didn't, he would bring her back. He preferred not to worry the elders with the truth.
However, upon inspecting the villa, Zhong Lan's keen eye immediately noticed the absence of Emma's personal belongings. Even if Emma had left the country to grieve and clear her mind, it was unlikely she would take everything with her.
Under Zhong Lan's persistent questioning, Jason revealed the truth. Upon learning that Emma's father's disappearance was indeed connected to Jason, Zhong Lan was stunned and chided him, "How could you keep such a thing from her?"
"You know how much her father's disappearance affected her. To find out that you've been hiding something so important, can you blame her for being upset?" Zhong Lan, though usually composed, sided with Emma in this matter.
When she found out Emma had gone to Israel to become a war correspondent, Zhong Lan was furious. "Shen Yan, I don't care, but you must go and bring Jingxi back now. Do you need me to tell you how dangerous it is to be a war correspondent in Israel?"
Jason understood Zhong Lan's concerns, and he was equally worried. He feared for her health, her safety abroad, and her reckless nature that put her at the forefront of danger.
Thus, he arranged for people to protect her discreetly. Yet, an accident still occurred. Originally, his itinerary was to head to Europe, but he made a last-minute detour to Israel. As soon as he landed, he heard the news.
In the afternoon, they had been following Emma as usual, but since she was heading to Gaza, they didn't dare follow too closely. So, they were far away on the road back to Jerusalem when Emma's car broke down and she encountered two ill-intentioned individuals.
The protectors arrived around the same time as the returning military, but since the military had already stopped to handle the situation, they kept their distance. However, this was indeed an oversight on their part, and they immediately reported the incident to Jason.
He had just landed at Tel Aviv's airport when he received the news, his expression changing dramatically. Although he later heard that she was safe, he rushed over immediately.
Upon entering Jerusalem, he was informed by her protectors that Emma had just left home and gone to a small bar where she occasionally hung out with a group of international journalists.
That was where he arrived to hear her describe her husband as a perfect man to others...
At that moment, with her large, misty eyes, Emma was still waiting for his response. Jason replied softly, "I've been working, and I've played the villain once."
He indeed played the villain. The role Su Yiheng played in Emma finding out was revealed to him by Old Sun. Jason didn't confront her immediately.
It wasn't until the beginning of this year that a massive scandal erupted. Su Yiheng's brother, a leading actor, was caught red-handed in a drug-fueled gathering, reported by the public and arrested by the police.
The Su family's black sheep, who had been living extravagantly abroad, had apparently grown bolder and started indulging in drugs back home. The news sent shockwaves through the public.
Su Jingxuan, who held a high position in the Su Corporation, was initially trying to cover up the scandal, but the media was too quick. The story was too juicy, especially involving Su Yiheng's brother.
Soon, his assistant came forward with public accusations and evidence of abuse, including recordings where Su Jingxuan heartlessly mocked the assistant as a "poor dog" who only deserved to lick his shoes, and he even ordered the assistant to clean his shoes with his tongue.
The public, already with little affection for such spoiled rich kids, was outraged by Su Jingxuan's drug use and his dehumanizing treatment of his assistant.
Su Corporation's stock price plummeted by 8% due to the scandal. Su Yiheng, frantic with anger, stormed into Jason's villa.
With tears in her eyes, she accused Jason, "I know you're behind this, and I know you're retaliating against me, but what did I do wrong? If you have nothing to hide, why don't you tell her yourself?"
Initially elated by Emma's departure, Su Yiheng believed she had won, that Emma had ultimately lost to her.
Initially, Su Yiheng was indeed apprehensive, aware that Jason might seek retribution for her actions. However, as half a year passed with Jason becoming even more reclusive and seemingly forgetting her transgressions, she began to believe he was considering the longstanding relationship between the Shen and Su families.
Su Yiheng thought Jason's restraint was out of respect for the ties between their families, and naively assumed he had finally come to terms with the fact that Emma posed no threat to their relationship. Moreover, given the significant assistance Jason's grandfather had provided to the Su family in the past, she believed Jason would not act rashly, especially considering his grandfather's influence.
But she never anticipated that Jason would strike from within, using internal means to dismantle her family's reputation. She was aware that her brother was indeed disappointing, but she was shocked by the extent of his scandals, which infuriated her father to the point of refusing legal assistance for his bail, wishing for his imprisonment as punishment.
The scandal caused continuous arguments between her parents at home. Knowing Jason would not agree to see her, Su Yiheng decided to wait at the entrance of his villa, intercepting his car.
To her surprise, Jason did not outright refuse her this time. He had the gates opened, allowing her vehicle to follow his into the property.
Upon reaching the villa's entrance, Su Yiheng was about to step inside when Jason swiftly blocked her way, standing at the threshold. He calmly said, "Let's talk right here."
This was his and Jingxi's home, and Jingxi would not be pleased to have another woman enter in her absence.
Seeing Jason, Su Yiheng's eyes welled up with tears: "Is my brother's situation related to you?"
Jason lightly laughed, a casual and indifferent smile that dissipated the icy coldness around him, making him appear quite amiable: "Did I encourage your brother to take drugs?"
Su Yiheng's face fell.
"Or did I teach him to disrespect others?" Jason's gaze was light yet piercing as he lifted his eyelids slightly: "Perhaps you should reflect on the upbringing within your Su family."
His words struck Su Yiheng like a heavy slap across the face, stinging with humiliation.
Jason looked at her: "If you came to me only to discuss these matters, then I believe you have approached the wrong person. Your brother's predicament is of his own making."
Finally, Su Yiheng could bear it no longer: "I am the one who offended you; direct your anger towards me. If you seek revenge, take it out on me."
Jason, who had been about to turn and head inside, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He glanced back at Su Yiheng.
A day later, detailed revelations about how Su Yiheng leveraged her family connections to seize the leading role in a film that had already been contracted to another actress surfaced. The exposé was so thorough that it laid bare the underhanded tactics used by actors in the entertainment industry to steal roles from one another.
Subsequently, the Film and Television Regulatory Bureau personally summoned both parties for discussions.
The entire entertainment industry was rocked by the scandal.
Emma, though in Israel, couldn't help but be aware of the immense scandal surrounding Su Yiheng. The act of stealing roles wasn't new, but it was rare for such a dispute to be so openly displayed on a public platform.
The other actress involved was utterly fearless, directly confronting Su Yiheng on Weibo. Tang Mi, not fully informed of the specifics regarding Emma's situation but suspecting Su Yiheng's involvement, promptly shared the news with Emma, ensuring she could savor the satisfaction from afar. Tang Mi even penned an article, subtly suggesting that an actor should possess professional ethics alongside their acting skills, without directly criticizing anyone.
Su Yiheng, who had always dominated the entertainment industry with her temperament, education, and family background, suddenly found her reputation in tatters. She even lost several advertising endorsements as a result.
Hearing him mention his indirect role in being a "bad guy," Emma couldn't help but ask, "Are Su Yiheng and her brother's affairs related to you?"
Jason chuckled, not denying it, and murmured, "I just provided a thread." The subsequent unraveling of events was the work of netizens and others.
Emma couldn't help but laugh, looking at him and saying, "You're so naughty." But she didn't feel that Jason was in the wrong for his actions. Su Jingxuan's drug use was a matter that anyone had a duty to report.
As for Su Yiheng, they both knew her intentions when she revealed the so-called truth to Emma. Emma was not a saint; she couldn't be magnanimous after being hurt by someone and simply brush it off, saying it was okay.
No, it wasn't okay.
Seeing Su Yiheng's misfortune brought her joy.
Seeing her joy, Jason suddenly leaned closer, his dark eyes gazing deeply into hers, as if bottomless. Until his voice turned hoarse as he asked, "Do you still like such a bad me?"